Proper vehicle maintenance generally includes periodic rotation of the tires. Periodic tire rotation is desired and recommended for several reasons. For example, periodic tire rotation provides regular wear and increases the tire life.
Vehicle maintenance also generally includes periodic adjustment of tire pressure in order to provide proper inflation. Tires generally provide improved performance when inflated properly and loss of pressure can degrade tire performance. Moreover, sudden or unexpected air pressure loss in a tire can also lead to poor tire performance and additional degradation.
Tire pressure has traditionally been tested manually. Likewise, tire rotation decisions have depended on criteria such as visual inspection of tire wear and/or mileage. However, such manual techniques are subject to limitations inherent in manual procedures.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop a non-manual system for detecting a tire rotation even and an associated method. In addition, it would be desired to develop a non-manual system that detects an inflation condition (e.g., air loss and air gain) in a tire. Furthermore, it is desirable to detect tire inflation and rotation information using a temperature profile such that changes in the temperature profile indicate a tire rotation. Moreover, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.